This invention relates to the field of paint mixers, more particularly, to paint mixers suitable for mixing paint in rectangular containers as well as cylindrical containers.
In the past, paint was supplied at retail levels typically in one gallon cylindrical containers. Recently such paint has become available in rectangular containers, giving rise to the need for paint mixers to blend colors for paint in such rectangular containers. The rectangular paint container has a handle molded into one corner for the painter""s convenience in pouring paint from the container. The rectangular paint container has a rectangular or square footprint or cross section. To accommodate the new paint container, a new holder can be provided in the paint mixer, suitable for receiving and retaining either the old cylindrical container or the new square footprint container. However, the new design of paint container results in a significant imbalance when the paint container is subject to the orbital and spinning motion desirable for paint mixing because of the molded handle resulting in a void or absence of paint in a region surrounding the handle in the corner of the container. When prior art mixers are used to mix paint in the square footprint paint container, unacceptable vibration will result unless steps are taken to address the unbalanced load caused by the molded in handle with its associated recess in one corner of the square or rectangular container.
The problem of addressing the unbalanced load is exacerbated when the holder allows the square container to be inserted into the holder with the handle in any of the four corners of the holder. The present invention overcomes this issue by providing a keyed paint container holder that allows placement of the square paint container in the holder with the handle in only one designated corner of the holder. The present invention accomplishes this without interfering with the capacity of the holder to receive the older style cylindrical paint container in the holder. In addition, the paint container holder of the present invention aligns the centers of gravity or inertia of the square and cylindrical paint containers in the holder with the spin axis of the mixer.